


She Sells Sanctuary

by ExpressAndAdmirable



Series: The Heroes of Light [26]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Final Fantasy I
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Drow, F/F, Interspecies Relationship(s), Tiefling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 16:44:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13171014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExpressAndAdmirable/pseuds/ExpressAndAdmirable
Summary: Lux and Sol have the inevitable lifespan conversation.





	She Sells Sanctuary

“Speak to me. What’s on your mind?”

Aviva sighed, an embarrassed smile creeping across her face. Caught again. Once upon a time, not a soul in a crowded room could tell what she was thinking. Now, a single Drow could take one look at her and read her like the broad, bold letters of a tavern sign. Haluei'en had no interest in guile, preferring to face conflicts head-on; it was something Aviva loved about her, even though it often meant facing her own internal conflicts as well. The perils of companionship. She grumbled and set down the paper she was folding. “Wilhelm.”

“As always.” Halei settled next to her on their bedroll, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the shade. A slight breeze ruffled her newly-shortened hair and as she ran a correcting hand through it, Aviva found herself wondering whether it was a new habit forming or an old habit returning. “What did the good doctor do now?”

“Nothing on purpose, this time,” Aviva responded, huffing a soft laugh. “We actually had a really good conversation yesterday.” Probably fuelled by the half-bottle of bourbon he had ingested, but she wasn’t about to turn down his rare moment of candor. “He’s a bit nervous about seeing his mother again. He hasn’t been home in twenty years, and the way he phrased it… stuck with me.”

Halei frowned. “What did he say?”

After a slight pause, Aviva met her gaze. “He said Humans tend to look older, when you look away for too long.”

“Ahh.” Halei nodded slowly, already following the thread of her thought.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever thought about it from that perspective. Time passes differently for each of us: Grummer lives so briefly compared to me, and I compared to Morgan, and Morgan compared to you. You might be the old lady of the group, but you’re going to outlive me by decades, probably centuries – well, provided we don’t all die on this quest. I’ve never been good at thinking about the future… but suddenly it’s all I can think about.” She paused, her smile turning wry. “I’m not suggesting we run off and hold a commitment ceremony, don’t worry. I’m very happy with where we are in the present. But if we wake up and twenty, forty, sixty years have gone by… are you going to be okay?”

Slate-grey fingers curled around crimson as Halei took Aviva’s hand in hers. “I know you’re not immediately going to believe me, but yes. I’ll be okay.”

Aviva looked at her dubiously. “Yeah?”

“I’m going to live longer than most people I know now. It’s a simple truth, something I’ve come to accept. Instead of mourning prematurely or turning my back, I’m learning how to appreciate the moment. Right now is what’s truly important.” A faint, almost begrudging smile played at her lips. “I learned that at the temple. Old man Feldryn’s philosophy on justice had little interest in either the past or the future. Neither wash away the deeds of the present; what matters is what you do in a particular moment.”

Despite her worries, Aviva couldn’t help smiling. The way Halei spoke of the old priest who had lent her his name said much of the influence he had had since she came under his tutelage. She had learned a great deal from him, whether she cared to admit it or not. “Sounds like a wise fellow.”

Halei raised an eyebrow. “He’d certainly help you get your head back on straight. You, better than any of us, know how to live in the present.” She kissed the Tiefling’s cheek and waited for their eyes to meet again. “But, if you need a refresher: we don’t know what the future will bring. We don’t even know if we’re going to survive this, so worrying about what may or may not happen sixty years from now will only drive you mad. Let’s be here, now, together, and take each day as it comes. That’s what matters. Okay?”

“That sounds awfully like something I’d have said when I was trying to woo you.”

Halei smirked. “Imagine that.”

Aviva gave her a withering look, but it quickly broke into a grin. “Point taken. It seems I’ve needed a lot of reminders lately.” She squeezed Halei’s hand. “I like this present. Very much.”

“Agreed.” A sharp gust of wind rattled the tarpaulin above their heads, whipping Halei’s hair around her face. She grimaced as she retrieved a lock from her mouth. “Except for that. The present could do with less of that.”

“I suppose _living_ in the present and _accepting_ the present are two separate concepts,” Aviva teased, taking a deep breath and blowing Halei’s hair out of place once again. It was her turn to receive a glare, only serving to widen her grin. But she knew Halei was right.

Every moment they had together was a moment worth appreciating.

**Author's Note:**

> Title song by the Cult.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr at @expressandadmirable for a proper table of contents for the Heroes campaign, commissioned character art, text-based roleplay snippets and more!


End file.
